On a cold winter day, a hot, nutritious cabbage stew with tofu will not only warm your stomach, but also satisfy your quest for a healthy diet. This dish is simple and easy to make and is a regular at the family table. Now, let's step into the culinary world of this home-cooked dish and discover the secrets of its preparation.
Materials Required:
1 fresh cabbage (about 500 grams).
A piece of old tofu (about 300 grams).
Three cloves of garlic. A small piece of ginger.
1 shallot. Cooking oil to taste.
Salt to taste. Appropriate amount of chicken essence or monosodium glutamate (optional).
A pinch of white pepper.
Appropriate amount of water. 
Seasoning Preparation:
Two tablespoons of light soy sauce.
A tablespoon of cooking wine.
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce (optional).
Cooking Steps:
Prepare the ingredients: Wash the cabbage and cut it into wide strips, and cut the tofu into medium-sized pieces. Chop the garlic and ginger into slices, and chop the shallots into chopped green onions for later use.
Blanching treatment: Blanch the cut tofu pieces in boiling water for 1-2 minutes to remove the beany smell and drain the water.
Stir-fry seasoning: Add an appropriate amount of cooking oil to the pot, add garlic slices and ginger slices after the oil is hot, and stir-fry until fragrant.
Sauté the cabbage: Pour the cabbage strips into the pan and stir-fry quickly until the cabbage is slightly soft.
Add seasoning: Add light soy sauce, cooking wine and oyster sauce (if using) and continue to stir-fry well.
Add water and simmer: Add enough water, the amount of water should be over the cabbage. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer.
Add the tofu: When the cabbage is simmered until it is half cooked, gently add the blanched tofu cubes to avoid breaking.
Seasoning: Add salt, chicken essence (or monosodium glutamate) and white pepper to taste, and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to fully combine.
Thicken out of the pot: Depending on personal preference, you can thicken the soup with an appropriate amount of starch to make the soup slightly thicker.
Remove from the pot and serve: Sprinkle with chopped green onions, and a dish of cabbage stewed tofu with color and flavor is complete.
Special Note:
Choose old tofu (northern tofu) over tender tofu because old tofu is more resistant to cooking and less likely to break.
Blanching tofu not only removes the beany smell, but also makes the tofu firmer and less crumbly.
When stewing, the heat should not be too large, so as not to break the tofu and affect the taste and appearance.
If you like a rich soup, you can increase the amount of oyster sauce appropriately, but pay attention to adjusting the amount of salt to avoid oversalting.
Cabbage stewed tofu